The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-03
A POPULAR RICH MAN.
The Qualities That Have Lifted w. K. Mcheen
to the Highest Point of Personal Esteem.


| The Qualities That Have Lifted W. r. Mcheen
| to the Highest Point of Personal Esteem.
Mr.. W. r. McKeen is, perhaps the most popu-
ular rich man in tho State of Indiana His per-
sonal popularity liz Terre Haute, where he was
born and has passed all of his life. is phenom-
email, and wherever his personal acquaintance e1-
| tends in the State he has warm friendships In
addition to this. he is popular by general reputa-
! ton. and those who do not know him personally
speak of him in terms of familiar admiration
Perhaps the best test that could have been MADE
of his popularity at home came when he disposed
of the Terre Haute & Indianapolis railroad 20
strangers turning to them institution that
in many respects was looked upon by all Terre
Haute people as a local enterprise. if not nome
eleemosynary institution. At first thought tnere
were some who said that "Riiey" should NOT
have ceased his continuous care of Terre Hauee
interests and Terre Haute people; that 1t was
good property and he should keep it until the
end of his lfe but the same belief in his 1delity
to the Prairie City and her people. his unseinsn
pride in the city, disarmed all criticism and TO-
day he is held in none the less kindly esteem.
His right. to lay down the burdens and worry OF
business was recognized rs we'll earned by years
OF generous help to the city, and you hear MS
"big heartedness" Landed now rs much as ever
Mr.. McKeen was born in ViRo county he y
the SON OF Benjamin McKeen, whose uprigns
character 10 attestsd IN all reference to him OF
the old citizens. When a young man he WAS en-
ployed in the old State bank, when. he says, 1t
was part OF the cashiers duty to fill the WOOD
box. Later he was in one of the county ofnces,
and then in the banking business as a partner
Here he became director in the railroad, ana
in 1867 was elected president. Since then all
Terre Haute has grown to consider the 'va
as sort of cooperative enterprise; passes nave
been asked and giveL. as matter of course,
and train crews and officials looked upon as en-
pioyes In q local public service. A weli-known
citizen surprised me greatly, the other day Dy
saying he never had a pass over the van
Every other citizen, we'll known or not. has, at
some time ridden dead head on the road as have
his sisters. and cousins and aunts. All along the
road can be found employees who were originally
personally Indebted to Mr. Mckeen for thelr 90.
sitons. and here in Terre Haute the employe
who did not begin service as one of his proteges
IS the exception. 1t was this fact which at first
led to the fear that the owners would put
in their own friends, but the competency OF the
service rendered by the McKeen regime chal-
lenged the admiration of the new officers, and
they frankly say that if any changes made
they will most likely be promotions.
Mr.. Mckeen enjoys the release from the
active and harassing duties president of the
road During the past few years these duties
have changed, and, as he says, are no longer the
routine management of a big corporation, but
are as difficult and wearing man the
command OF great army in a strange country
No set policy can be pursued. but the clrcum-
stances of each day determine the action for that
day. So it that when he went to his farm,
MnsFs s,o NE takes ak great .bs .o na
called up a half dozen times by telephone to de-
eide some new and perplexing question. Now,
he says he can GO where he pleases and not be
harassed by telephone or telegraph messages.
OF course, there have been all sorts of rumors
as to what he is going to do. He was laughing
about one report that came to his wife, the other
day, that ne would move to Washington, where
he would be interested in politics. While
strong partisan. he has a dread of personal
political preferment At times his name has
been used in connection with various Offices,
and on each occasion he has been afraid that
by some means he would be put in Office His
excuse has always been that he could not take
Office because of his business affairs. Now,
shat this excuse is removed. he needs must find
another and more potent one. There prob
of . great corporation whose availability
as a candidate was SO free of objection. With
the workneman. even the agitator, there is
question of his fitness for any Office TO which he
might be elected.
think the secret of his great popularity is
his big heart No one knows ali the kind acts
he has done. They leak out daily. Mr.. George
Far rington, his right hand man, says nc one can
know all of them; that time and again ne, (Far-
rington) has become aware of them. and Mr.. Nc
Keen has enjoined secrecy. One day travel
worn boy got in to see him and asked for a pass
to st. Louis. The boy was trying to get back to
the home from which he had away. The
pass was refused and the boy had gone
square from the building, when Mr.. McKeen
who had been in a brown study, sent for him
The boy rode to St Louis on pass, and unless
he was an expert in spending money he had
quite nice sum in his pocket when he arrived
at home. In public affairs, when subscription
papers were passed around, Mr.. McKeen was al
ways asked to head the list, and he always did so
In such figures as to make sure liberal subscrip-
tions all along the line. / asked q gentleman
who has had close business relations with him
to what particular trait if any one, was to be
attributed his business success, aud the reply
the word, patience" He never did
ANYTHING hastily, but when he deliberately de-
cided to do anything that purpose was inevitably
carried out. l happen to know that in the
past few years his patience has been sorely tried
and his subordinates have many times rebelled |
at things required by others, when he would be
the one to allay the irritation and predict that |
all would come out right IN the end-as it did, |
80 far as the final act of his railroad is !
AS you enter his room in the railroad building |
you pass the desk of Mr.. George E. harrington |
whose duty it has been for years to be Mr.. Nc |
keen's next best man." He, too, is Vico ccun- |
ty s"born and bred, and he, too has grown in |
personal popularity with the popularity of the |
Van" His business, however, has been to know |
everything about the road and and he has grown
stoop- shouldered acquirir 2 that knowledge. He |
is general agent" secretary" and man of all |
work II there was anything to be ascertained
no matter II accident miles away a few
minutes before you called, the information if
obtained any where, could be found on his desk
He could tell you ''out of head" at a moments
notice. what the freight rates would be for any
thing to any place. and whether there would be
excursion rates to the Pumpkin county fair.
When Mr. Mckeen away you had to see
Mr.. Farrington and the chances are you had to
see George after you saw Mr. McKeen to have
there ever was man who is indispensable to
his employer George E. Harrington is indispen-
sable to the Vandalia Railroad Company.
HERMANN .BxPLAINED.
How Some of tho Showman,s Celehr.eaa